Union Home Minister Amit Shah with All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, in Chennai. File.
| Photo Credit: ANI

AIADMK general secretary and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, on Wednesday (April 16, 2025) made it clear that there would be no coalition government in Tamil Nadu in the event of the Dravidian major-BJP alliance capturing power in the 2026 Assembly election.

Asked about observations of Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah at the press conference last week in Chennai wherein he had announced the coming together of the two parties, Mr. Palaniswami, who met the media outside the Assembly chamber in the campus of Fort St George for the first time after the development, emphasised that the Union Minister did not mention about power sharing in the State. “He had only stated that the AIADMK-BJP alliance would form the [next] government,” Mr. Palaniswami observed.

Urging the media “not to misunderstand” the remarks of Mr. Shah, the AIADMK leader said the Union Minister had stated that the elections would be fought under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the national level and under his [Mr. Palaniswami] leadership in Tamil Nadu. “You [the media] should understand it [in the right spirit].”

To a question about the ruling party’s description of the alliance as opportunistic, Mr. Palaniswami wondered why the DMK should feel upset over his party’s electoral tie-up with others. “Why should it be afraid [of this development]?  We have forged the alliance because we want to return to power. It is our wish to have an alliance with others,” he observed, contending that the DMK had “no competence” to advise his party as to with which it should form the coalition. 

On the issue of whether the alliance was formidable or not, he said only the election would reveal the strength of the tie-up. “We have been making efforts to bring together all those keen on dislodging the ruling DMK from power by contesting the [Assembly] election together. As the first move towards this direction, the BJP has come to us.” 

As for the entry of other parties into the AIADMK-led front, he said there was still time — one year — to go for the election. “Many parties are expected to join us shortly,” the AIADMK chief pointed out. 

On the issue of State autonomy, Mr. Palaniswami argued that if the DMK, which had enjoyed power at the Centre for 16 years, had taken steps to bring in laws on the autonomy, no problem would have arisen. “As it [the DMK] is not in power now [at the Centre], he [Chief Minister M.K. Stalin] is issuing statements to put the blame on others. He is enacting this drama for the purpose of next year’s election,” he added.